The Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers market stall sensation that took Brisbane by storm when it launched its dine-in restaurant model has come full circle with its Pronto takeaway concept.

“We’ve come back to our full strengths which are speed, delivery, high-quality meals. It’s Italian done fast,” explains Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers co-founder Ben Cleary-Corradini. “This is what we originally intended for the brand.”

When Ben and co-founder Theo Roduner shifted from a market stall to physical stores, the sites were big enough to operate a dine-in restaurant. So they took advantage of the space and expanded into a casual dining and takeaway business.

And customers loved the experience of the affordable dine-in Italian restaurant in a strip or food precinct.

“At the time we did doubt that takeaway alone would work,” Ben admits. “However, over the years we realised that takeaway is our strength.”

Pronto is Italian for ready, and that’s what the newest model is offering: meals ready for delivery or takeaway within five minutes of ordering, either on an app, online or over the counter.

It’s good food delivered swiftly for the customer; for the franchisee it’s a smaller footprint, with less labour, and less stress. And it’s an ideal add-on for expansive franchisees looking to add a second or third store.

A Pronto can operate in a space of just 50 or 60 sqm, and with investment from $150,000, there are obvious benefits to the model. In contrast, a traditional dine-in Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers restaurant costs from $200,000 and has an 80 sqm+ footprint.

Pronto is key to regional expansion

The brand’s expansion strategy is built around a hub and spoke model, with two distinct formats working in tandem. A full dine-in restaurant typically launches the brand in a new town, with a collection of smaller Pronto stores following to extend the brand’s reach.

Helping with the growth strategy, and also site selection, is a third business partner, Anthony Russo, co-founder of Pizza Capers. With the Brisbane home base extensively covered, Ben, Theo and Anthony are filling in the gaps, adding Pronto stores in areas beyond the restaurants’ delivery zones.

“We are looking at our maps, store radius, local demographics, and finding clusters where we can site our takeaway model,” Ben explains.

This year new stores will open in Logan, Toowoomba and Caloundra as the business doubles-down on its Queensland growth.

“We’d love to find franchisees for regional towns from Cairns and Townsville to Rockhampton and Gladstone,” Ben says. “In the larger towns we may be able to have two or three restaurants.”

Next year the brand will start to grow its Sydney presence beyond its single store in Newtown’s King Street.

The Newtown franchisee also operates a ghost kitchen in south Sydney suburb Kogarah, catering only for UberEats and DoorDash orders. “This is a way for us to test the area, before we open,” Ben says.

Possible takeaway locations across Sydney include Sutherland, Cronulla, Castle Hill, Parramatta, Penrith and Coogee, while the hub and spoke model could serve towns further afield, like Newcastle and Coffs Harbour. 

“We would like to be in regional towns like Tamworth, Dubbo and Mudgee, but we will first conquer the coast,” Ben says.

Long term Ben, Theo and Anthony have sights set on Victoria, and Adelaide. Perth remains a logistical challenge because of the brand’s centralised kitchen policy; the business maintains a tight grip on the production of all-important gnocchi and sauces.

“Everything comes from our centralised kitchen in Brisbane and we will build up the production volume as we expand. That’s the key to maintaining our high quality,” Ben says.

New opportunities unlocked through data analysis

“Expansion is simply a distribution game. For Sydney stores, this means two or more deliveries a week, not one. We have great suppliers and distributors in place, and can bank up stock to supply further stores.”

Whatever the location, the Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers expansion is data-driven. Ben, Theo and Anthony are in no hurry to land in a new location without thorough data analysis, and this is unlocking unexpected opportunities.

“Some of the regional towns, like Emerald, have a resident population of about 100,000. But when you look at the data, there are all the FIFO workers, and people visiting from surrounding towns, and suddenly you have a potential 200,000 people on your doorstep. So we study the data very closely,” Ben says.

The business has headed to the frontline to get extra data, adapting its market-stall approach to testing new areas. 

“We build brands in a fun way; we do like to be in the trenches,” he says. “So we’ve got a food truck strategically located to test markets. Right now it is in Burleigh Heads where it will stay for five months, collecting data. After this we will take it to Robina and then analyse which town is more suitable for us. We can compare and contrast with real data.

“Our franchise agreements are five to seven years, and with a renewal that could be 14 years. We can’t rush the decision about a location. We want to do the research before people make their lifetime investment. 

“Now is the right time to start talking to us, as we are selecting sites and matching franchise partners. We are looking for new franchisees for Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers locations outside metro areas,” Ben says.